11.18-SummitScrubbed-050423

Thursday, May 4, 2023

SmartDrivingCar.com/11.18-SummitScrubbed-050423

18^thedition of the 11th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter

S&P Dow Jones Indices to Calculate The Road to Autonomy Index Tracking Autonomous Vehicles and Logistics

The Road to Autonomy, April 25. “The Road to Autonomy®, a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles and logistics, has selected S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) to be the custom calculation agent for The Road to Autonomy Index (ticker: AUTONOMY) and The Road to Autonomy Total Return Index (ticker: AUTOMYTR). The Road to Autonomy Index, comprised of 38 publicly-traded companies, measures the performance of the autonomous vehicle and logistics ecosystems, including autonomous vehicles, trucks and off-road specialty vehicles, as well as transportation, technology, industrial and services companies that have identified autonomy as a key component of their growth strategies.

“The Road to Autonomy Index provides a comprehensive view into this dynamic sector that is poised to shape the future of how we live and work,” said Grayson Brulte, founder and chief executive officer of The Road to Autonomy. “Our unmatched knowledge of the industry and the influences that drive it give us unique perspective into its potential, and our partnership with S&P DJI provides a foundation of integrity and transparency for the Index.”… “ Read more Hmmmm… Very interesting. See ZoomCast 316/PodCast 316 below Alain

SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 316 / PodCast 316 w/Grayson Brultye, CEO, The Road to Autonomy

F. Fishkin, May 3, “Grayson Brulte, head of The Road to Autonomy, selects S&P Dow Jones to be the custom calculations agent for indices. He joins Princeton’s Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin to discuss that plus the outlook for autonomous mobility and industry, trucking and more. Plus the latest Smart Driving Cars Summit news. Tune in and subscribe.

0:00 open

0:49 Grayson Brulte Road to Autonomy selects S&P Dow Jones for new indices.

2:57 Autonomy will drive growth for range of companies and industries

9:05 Perception that it has been a rough year for companies in the space

11:00 What about using the technology to provide mobility for all?

26:46 Princeton Smart Driving Cars Summit hits logistics challenges

29:45 Jalopnik reports on autonomous cars getting in way of emergency responders

33:55 Kodiak says it will have autonomous truck in fleet next year

35:46 Will autonomous trucks cost jobs?

38:15 Grayson invokes elevator analogy

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The 6th Annual Princeton SmartDrivingCars Summit

Postponed until further notice; stay tuned

Understanding the Business for Driverless Work Vehicles & Finding the Entry Point for a Radical Innovation… Providing Affordable High-quality Mobility to Those Without a Personal Car.

The objective of the 6^th SmartDrivingCars Summit will be to put the eventual manufacturers of driverless passenger vehicles together with the eventual operators of transportation services to decide if there is a business to be made from delivering affordable mobility to a large segment our societies who are underserved by the current options: private cars and public transport.

It’s already happening with military and work vehicles, with Oshkosh and Robotic Research, and John Deere, Caterpillar, Komatsu and others manufacturing driverless vehicles that are getting the jobs done in military operations, on farms, mines, warehouses, seaports, and airports, jobs where experienced drivers are too few in number or where driver safety cannot be ensured. They will be at the Summit during the sessions on Driverless Vehicles in the Line of Duty to explain how they have made the transition to building tools that safely meet the market requirements for both affordability and performance.

After twenty years of development, it’s time for the companies that will build the vehicles and the organizations that will operate the services to take the leadership position. Sensor manufacturers and software developers have gone as far as they can go, and some of them have already had to drop out of the race. Car manufacturers and energy companies are making the same mistake they made twenty-five years ago when they said they had to wait for a battery breakthrough before they could build an electric car. There is a ready and sizeable market for an inexpensive transport solution that has the flexibility of a passenger car for people who cannot drive themselves or afford their own car.

We have focused too much on the equivalent of the battery solution, on the technology, and not on the need. At the SDC Summit in May, we will focus on the need and how to satisfy that need. Join us in Princeton to be part of making this happen. Alain

Note: The 6^th Summit will be held in Robertson Hall, whose auditorium capacity is slightly under 200. Moreover, interaction among the attendees and the program participants is an essential aspect of the Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summits. Consequently, attendance may require an application process in order to achieve a diversity of attendees in the auditorium. The first half of the spaces will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. The remaining capacity will be allocated using an application process enabling the distribution of registration invitations to individuals from designated groups. We hope to see you there. Please register at this Link.

Autonomous Cars Are Getting in the Way of Emergency Responders in San Francisco: Report

L. Hodge, April 2, “Cars from Waymo and Cruise are proving to be a continuing headache…..” Read more Hmmmm… The SF (and Phoenix) news outlets never seem to have anything nice to say about Waymo or GM Cruise. SF and Phoenix are the wrong early markets. These folks have way too many cars and are way too rich to ever think that they would use driverless cars for anything more than a Selfie. Come to New Jersey where you have a chance to be appreciated and find real customers for the affordable high-quality mobility that your driverless cars can deliver. Alain

Kodiak Robotics introduces an autonomous electric Class 8 truck

S. Doll, May 2, “Autonomous freight technology developer Kodiak Robotics has unveiled an all-electric, self-driving Class 8 truck on display at the ACT Expo this week. The autonomous electric truck is a Peterbilt EV upfitted with Kodiak’s “Driver” sensor-pod technology. Check it out.

Kodiak Robotics was founded in 2018 with the purpose of developing an autonomous technology stack that is purpose-built for long-haul trucks in order to make the freight industry safer and more efficient.

…. ” Read more Hmmmm….. Maybe; they don’t provide a definition of autonomous.. Since the attributes are listed as “safer and more efficient” in that order, I doubt it is driverless/attendantless; else the pitch would be “enormously more productive and just as safe”.. Alain

Massive autonomous robot is 3 to 5 times faster than a human construction crew

K Houser, May 1, “California-based startup Built Robotics has unveiled a huge autonomous construction robot that speeds up the creation of utility-scale solar farms — accelerating the transition to a clean energy future and making workers safer, too.

The challenge: Electricity generation is responsible for more than 30% of the US’s carbon emissions, so transitioning the grid away from fossil fuels and toward renewables, such as solar, is essential to combating climate change. Not only that, we’ll need to generate a lot more electricity as we increasingly electrify cars, machines, and industry….” Read more Hmmmm….. Since achieving safety is so much easier on Private property, this driverless construction robot has the opportunity to be enormously productive. Alain

Tesla Finally Adds Long Range Model 3, Fed Raises Rates, Boring Company Expansion

R. Maurer, May 3, ➤ Tesla adds Model 3 Long Range back to US design studio after nearly a year long hiatus ➤ Fed raises rates, hints at potential pause ➤ Tesla files application for “Lithium Lab” ➤ IDRA expands casting equipment ➤ UAW withholds Biden endorsement ➤ The Boring Company receives expansion approval in Las Vegas

0:00 Intro / TSLA

0:32 FOMC statement / press conference

3:27 Long Range Model 3

9:01 Lithium lab

9:58 Megapack

10:37 IDRA

11:07 UAW withholds endorsement

12:41 Boring Company expansion” Read more Hmmmm….. Always enormously informative.. Alain